Newarkers seeking an accessible hybrid learning degree will be afforded the opportunity through a newly opened campus in the city's Teachers Village.
NEWARK, NJ — Newarkers seeking an accessible hybrid learning degree will be afforded the opportunity through a newly opened campus in the city's Teachers Village.
Officials from Newark-based outreach organization South Ward Promise Neighborhood and Gateway U, a nonprofit program that offers students an online learning pathway in partnership with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to welcome the new campus to town. The campus, located at 35 Treat Place, is aimed to increase economic opportunities and improve outcomes for residents.
“As a Newark native, I am personally invested in developing our city and our people,” Gateway U Executive Director Saymah Nah said. “At Gateway U our mission is to catalyze socio-economic mobility through an affordable and accessible college experience. We are strategically collaborating across the community to strengthen the pipeline between education and career, where everyone benefits: students, families, employers, schools, and our greater society."
Gateway U offers an affordable learning experience that allows students to earn a degree for no more than $7,000 per year. A majority of Gateway U students are also eligible for federal financial aid, with students eligible for federal Pell grants that can receive up to $6,345 per year.
More importantly, students have the opportunity to receive a high-quality learning experience that prepares them for a career pathway. Through the program's partner, SNHU, students are offered three-degree programs in business management, healthcare management and communications.
The Gateway U program, which was announced in November 2021, is part of a $30 million one-to-one matching U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods Program grant that South Ward Promise received. The Promise Neighborhoods Program grant supports organizations like the Newark-based outreach group that advocate for making education more accessible in underserved communities.
“We are happy to be taking the next step and creating a vibrant, caring physical space to further Gateway U’s impact," Brick Education Network CEO and Gateway U Board Member Dominique Lee said.
Bringing the campus to Teachers Village also supports the vision of the development of becoming a more sustainable, affordable housing option for educators. The mixed-use village, which was developed by the Newark-based RBH Group, features six buildings consisting of three charter schools and a daycare facility. It also houses 203 rental units marketed to teachers and 65,000 square feet of retail space with 11 different commercial businesses.
"We are thrilled that Teachers Village is now home to Gateway U, expanding educational and community-building opportunities for our residents and commercial tenants, as well as bringing the social benefits of a new, innovative and successful educational concept to the Newark community," RBH Group Founder and CEO Ron Beit said.